The Real Deal New York

World’s largest rooftop farm to open in Brooklyn

April 05, 2012 11:00AM

The world’s largest rooftop garden will debut in Brooklyn early next year, the New York Post reported. Manhattan-based BrightFarms is set to announce a deal today to create a 100,000-square-foot commercial greenhouse on top of the eight-story Liberty View Industrial Plaza, a city-owned property, on Third Avenue in Sunset Park.

BrightFarms will use the space to grow 1 million pounds of organic produce on an annual basis, according to the Post.

“Here in New York, we don’t have acres and acres of unused land to grow fresh food,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, “but Brooklyn’s got plenty of industrial buildings with unused roofs that are perfect for urban farming.”

BrightFarms adds to the borough’s rooftop-gardening trend. As previously reported, Brooklyn Grange, a commercial organic farm, will soon open a 45,000-square-foot rooftop in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. According to the Post, that garden will open in mid-May. [Post]